An ambitious programmer finds himself trafficked by scammers after hastily accepting a job abroad in Shen Ao’s tense cyber thriller.
Sep 4, 2023 • Subscribe
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Review: No More Bets (2023)
No More Bets 孤注一掷 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 129 mins. Director: Shen Ao 申奥. Rating: 7/10. A dark, often violent but mostly gripping drama centred on an online…
#85 Nano Hazard (Ft. Shen from Shen Comix)
Manga by Kurihara, Shoushou (Story), Kazaana (Art) Is this manga bad? Even we haven’t made up our mind until the end of the episode! We and…
#85 Nano Hazard (Ft. Shen from Shen Comix)
Manga by Kurihara, Shoushou (Story), Kazaana (Art) Is this manga bad? Even we haven't made up our mind until the end of the episode! We and…
Sword of Destiny (孤剣は折れず 月影一刀流, Yasushi Sasaki, 1960)
A wandering swordsman winds up in intrigue on returning to his fencing school to find his old master murdered in Yasushi Sasaki’s jidaigeki adventure.
Ao no Orchestra – 07
A seriously shy and anxious person trying to cope with an orchestra setting is an interesting topic to consider. Read more
Ao no Orchestra – 06
At this point I'm relying on compatibility to keep myself interested in Ao no Orchestra - the actual execution is thoroughly inconsistent. Read more
Patreon Unlocked: H Kamen Part 1 ft Shen of Shen Comix
We're taking a small summer break so enjoy this previously Patreon-only episode on H Kamen featuring Shen of Shen Comix. We'll be back on 9/15 with our first…
Ao no Orchestra – Episode 3
Aono and Akine have officially made it to Umikaku. Where do we go from here? To the orchestra club, of course!
Ao no Exorcist: Yosuga-hen
Plot: Unlike his twin brother, Yukio, Okumura Rin never wished to know about their parents and the circumstances surrounding his own birth. Yet the master of time, Mephisto…
First Impressions – Ao no Orchestra
Oh look, it's another "Blue" manga... Read more
Ao no Exorcist: Yuki no Hate-hen
Plot: Demonic activity worldwide has significantly increased due to the involvement and corrupt practices of the Illuminati. To combat the unnatural influx of demons, the Vatican Headquarters decid…
Ao No Exorcist: Yuki No Hate-hen
Obviously the Illuminati isn’t done yet and it’s still a long way to go. But thankfully, they didn’t take a break for 7 years or skip any chapters…
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 14
If I hear a complaint most often about Blue Box, it's that everything (generally they mean the romance) takes too long to develop.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 06
This passage of the series is pretty much a slog for me.
Ao no Exorcist Shimane Illuminati-hen
Plot: At True Cross Academy, Rin Okumura unknowingly comes across the first signs that something is amiss; ordinary people have been gaining the ability to perceive the invisible…
OtakuGeneration.net :: (Show #954) Ao no Orchestra
Shownotes :: (show 954) :: () :: () :: () :: () With Ao no Orchestra, recorded live September 17th, 2023. This week, we watched characters driven…
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 05
With Blue Box, you just have to take the bitter with the sweet.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 23
It strikes me that the things I like about this series are the things that drive most fans crazy. And the things that drive me crazy are the…
Ao No Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati-hen
Well, well, well. Look who is back after 7 years! Seven damn long years! That’s right. I didn’t think this would get another sequel but it looks like…
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 13
We start out the cour with a very strong episode decidedly light on the tropism Blue Box leans into a bit too much of the time.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 18
Amazing how fast a dream can turn into a nightmare... Read more
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 09
It struck me in watching this episode that Taiki's mom is pretty horrible towards him in many ways.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 15
What an episode. And it needed to be. Read more
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 10
Blue Box is possessed of two qualities - patience and restraint - which are an essential part of its ability to succeed,
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 21
Karen is right that Chinatsu is the cautious type, at least on the romance front.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 16
The beach/inn events are kind of a reset button for Chinatsu and Taiki. But not a fast-forward button.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 02
In romcoms the main couple really is everything - and this is one of the best in my opinion.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 03
I have an odd mix of feelings on this series.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 24
There are certain things I have to address after that one.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 22
Ayame is that most unbearable of combos - she never shuts up and she almost never listens.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 04
“Only a year” one might say, but at that age it’s an eternity.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 17
I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel (though sometimes that light is an oncoming train).
Philosophical Themes in Ao no Exorcist
1. The Search for Meaning Eternal life challenges the fundamental human quest for meaning. Philosophers like Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre argue that mortality gives life urgency and…
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 12
These are the times that try men's souls.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 19
There's no way Blue Box can resist the lure of the maid cafe.
Ao no Miburo (Blue Miburo) – 03
It's clear that this is going to be a story that paints in primary colors, but that can work when you have a really interesting premise.
Ao no Hako (Blue Box) – 20
This is probably one of those "the less said the better" situations for me.
Chang’e (常娥, Shen Lianlian, 2021)
An embittered factory worker’s stultifying life in rural China is enlivened by a man who organises ceremonies for the dead in Shen Lianlian’s indie drama.
Review: Yesterday Once More (2023)
Yesterday Once More 倒数说爱你 China, 2023, colour, 1.86:1, 99 mins. Director: Lin Xiaoqian 林孝谦 [Gavin Lin]. Rating: 7/10. Youth romance with supernatural elements is an entertaining, if generic,…
Review: One More Chance (2023)
One More Chance 别叫我“赌神” Hong Kong/China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 113 mins. Director: Pan Yaoming 潘耀明 [Anthony Pun]. Rating: 5/10. Onetime Hong Kong superstar Zhou Runfa [Chow Yun-fat] makes…
First Impressions – Ao no Miburo (Blue Miburo)
What kept repeating itself in my mind was that old expression "the winning side writes history".
Ao no Exorcist 15 – True Blue Shounen
This was an excellent week for Ao no Exorcist. They really stirred things up this time, and the last half had one of the best fights yet. A-1…
First Impressions – Ao no Hako (Blue Box)
Chinatsu and Taiki are the reason to punch your ticket as far as I’m concerned.
A PSA on Ao No Flag’s Artwork
Ao no Flag (or Blue Flag) is one of the purest and most sincere manga I’ve had the pleasure to read in a while. A classic love square where half of…
Second Impressions – Ao no Miburo (Blue Miburo)
I can already kind of tell that Ao no Miburo is going to be one of those series I want to like more than I actually do.
Fish Memories (（真）新的一天, Chen Hung-i, 2023)
A middle-aged man’s comfortable if emotionally empty existence is disrupted by his relationship with a pair of teenagers in Chen Hung-i’s poetic drama.
Episode 641: Nu Wu Shen de Craft
We got old men in politics who don't get anime, solving crimes with a legal loli, and making our own spinoffs. First up comes the IRL news as…
Ao no Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati-hen – 10 – Alone No Longer
Nine Tails is an ancient intermediate demon Holy Cross has never figured out how to exorcise, but the Kamiki clan is a different story. Freed from Nine Tails,…
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No More Heroes III
No More Heroes III is like if I went into my backyard and dug up a time capsule from the early 2000s, opening it up to find all…